


guild

by AslansCompass



Series: Friends Offline [3]
Category: Valdemar Series - Mercedes Lackey
Genre: Captain Idra, Gen, Modern AU, mmorpg au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-10
Updated: 2020-08-10
Packaged: 2021-03-05 20:41:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 953
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25791517
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AslansCompass/pseuds/AslansCompass
Summary: Mandy and Riayn decide it's time to join a guild.
Series: Friends Offline [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1870084
Kudos: 5





	guild

"Do you really want to join a guild?" Mandy asked as she watched Riayn's character practice dueling in the pvp ring. NPC guards patrolled the edges. "We've been doing okay on our own."

"We work well together, but I would like to try some more difficult tasks," Riayn admitted. The clicking of keys echoed over her mike as Tarma ducked an opponent's fist. "Nearly had me there, Ikan," she added. The two players facing her had only given their character names--either strict roleplayers or cautious about privacy. Possibly both. "Some raids are only open to guild members."

"Or only practical with a lot of people" the other man, Justin, added. "It's hard to get a non-affiliated group for some of the limited events. What type of guild were you thinking?"

"Well, it would have to be mixed-class. I'm a paladin, and Kethy's a mage. Other than that--" Riayn feinted left, then struck right. "I can do some live events, but cooperative efforts generally work better with my schedule. Gathering resources, investigating events, that sort of thing."

"Same here," Mandy agreed. "I have an irregular schedule." 

"In that case, I suggest the Sunhawks."

Tarma stood still. The men had to check their blows. In a designated zone, she wouldn't have died anyway, but it wasn't considered sporting to attach a glitching character. "The Sunhawks?"

There was no size limit on guilds, but guilds focused on crafting or 'pure' roleplaying tended to be only a few dozen at most; anything larger was difficult to coordinate. Mercenary guilds, however, could be scores or even hundreds of players, nearly all with premium accounts. The servers even hosted special events for them, with 'border wars' where in-game kingdoms hired guilds for military goals. The Sunhawks were among the top ten mercenary guilds in Heralds. 

"I think the bout's over," Mandy suggested hastily. "We should go somewhere else."

The four of them headed over to a nearby tavern, where they hastily ordered beer and beef to refresh their stats. "You need a rec just to try out," Riayn said. "Where are we going to get one?"

"You could ask us," Justin suggested. "We were some of the first members. Even met Captain Idra in person a few times at early cons. Had to drop out, eventually. Life just got too busy."

Mandy hummed for a moment. "I'm game if you are. I mean, we're already not in a guild. It's not like we'll get kicked out of the game for applying to one." Ghosting on an _established_ guild, on the other hand, was worse than bad manners. Guild-masters compared notes--anyone who didn't put in an effort for one guild was unlikely to be accepted to another. Sometimes guilds traded members, but only with everyone's consent. And if someone wasn't a good fit, they were encouraged (more or less gently, depending on the situation) to leave quietly. "I have some free space on my calendar."

"I'll _make_ time," Riayn said fiercely. "I need some way of letting off steam after work." 

"Aww, you mean it's not all cuddling babies and reading to toddlers?" 

**OOC ALERT** Riayn typed in all caps. 

"Sorry, sorry. But, yeah, better not swear in front of the kiddies." 

"Well, I'll write Idra later tonight and let her know you're interested. Since it's just the two of you, she'll probably just do a private meet-up. I assume coordinating schedules won't be a problem?"

* * *

The Sunhawks' headquarters in western Ruvan was spread out across multiple buildings, including a practice yard, stables, armory, workshop, and office space. "Even if we aren't accepted, we should stick around for a while," Riayn commented. "Seems pleasant enough."

"Definitely," Many agreed. "Milk that free transit for all it's worth." Their characters went up to the guard on duty. Most guild headquarters had purchasable npc guards to discourage non-member entry, but very few had actual players manning the post. Apparently the Sunhawks were one of them. "We're here to meet Captain Idra. She sent us an invitation." Mandy typed out the passcode they'd been given. 

The guard forwarded their message. "She said you can come on in. She'll be in the second room on the left upstairs."

The room was almost completely empty, with a fireplace on one wall and a window on the other. But the walls were covered with server maps and trophies from high-ranking campaigns. 

"So, you're Tarma and Kethry." Idra stood by the window. "Justin seemed to like you."

"We've worked together on a few small quests. He's really good with cooperative play. And very reliable." Riayn said. "When he heard Kethry and I were interested in joining a guild, he suggested you."

"He said you're a paladin and a mage. Bit unusual combination, isn't it?"

"Long story," Riayn answered. "But we work well together. I've got high stats in wilderness survival, including tracking and stealth. My character's from the Tale'sedrin clan, so I have high bonuses for horsemanship and animal training. Kethry is a White Wind mage, so no risk of her spells backfiring on our allies. I've got a fairly standard availability, Kethys less so." 

"Hmmm...." Idra murmured. "You normally work together?"

"Pretty much all the time," Mandy said. 

"I don't need melee fighters at this point. I do need spies. People who can take the time to map out a path, get some preliminary information, that kind of thing. Players who are good in mass combat aren't always equipped to handle smaller tasks. What do you think?"

"Sounds excellent," Riayn said.

"And I can craft some small enchantments in my spare time," Mandy commented. "I noticed your workshop earlier."

"Well, then, how about a trial run and then we'll meet again after that?" Idra suggested. 

**Author's Note:**

> I'm picturing "Heralds of Valdemar" as somewhere between Lord of the Rings online and Elder Tales from Log Horizon--a purely PC sandbox game with voice chat.


End file.
